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Tuesday, 2 May 2017

Port Adelaide: The Ghost of Lee Pao Sung

In October 1944 Mr Lee Pao Sung was found floating in the Port River, he was
wrapped in a red blanket with a hessian bag over his head. Upon removing the
bag, police found two 3-inch nails, driven into Mr Sung’s skull.His body was badly beaten, and around
his neck, a coil of cord had been tied.

Mr Sung and another Chinese sailor, Mr Wu Su-ling, had “jumped ship” in September
1944, and had been reported missing.

The only clue the Police
had to identify Mr Sung’s killer was the expertly coil of cord, which
detectives believed only a seasoned sailor could tie in such a way.

An autopsy revealed that the nails had been driven Into Lee's head after
his death. Tied to his body was a small, oblong piece of bone.

The cord around his throat was coiled twice, knotted, coiled another
four times, and tied in a reef-knot.

Lee Pao Sun - source : Truth (Brisbane newspaper 1944)

Two Chinese Seamen, Mr Wu
Su-ling (the ships Engineer, from Tientsin in northern China) and Mr Low
Yung-fui (Captains’ Boy, from Hong Kong) were reported for the crime.

In 1944 Port Adelaide homicide detectives became the first in Australia
to extradite the two suspects for the murder of Lee Pao Sung. Both men, who
worked as sailors had left South Australia, with one moving to Newcastle in New
South Wales, and the other to Sri Lanka (known as Ceylon in 1944).

During an interview with Detective Sergeant Gill, Wu Su-ling
pointed the finger at Low Yung-fui. He claimed that Lee Pao Sung had threatened
Low Yun-fui with a knife, and he had killed him in retaliation.When Low Yun-fui was told this story, he
denied it, and then said it was the other way around, Wu Su-ling had committed
the murder and that he, Low, had helped dispose of the body into the Port
River.

"I did not; it
was the other way round. Low killed him and forced me to help. When I woke up
at 3.30am he was in my cabin, and the body was there. He threatened to put me
in trouble if I called out." Low stated.
Low also claimed he had seen three nails in Wu’s possession and heard him say
he was going to kill Lee Pao Sung.

After intense interrogation, and the dismal of Low’s claims, both men were
eventually cleared of any wrong doing.

The death of Lee Pao Sung took an interesting twist when it was revealed
in The Advocate (a Tasmanian
newspaper) that the three nails in a triangular pattern had been seen before in
other murders in China.
It is believed the pattern was a sign from a secret Chinese political party who
used an equilateral triangle as their secret symbol.

Lee Pao Sung was buried in the Cheltenham Cemetery on Friday the 6th
of October 1944. His funeral was presided over by the Rev H. C, Cuthbertson,
chaplain of the Port Adelaide Mission to Seamen.

His funeral rites were provided as to those pertaining to the
Church of England (Mr Sung’s actual religion was unknown).His funeral was attended by Detective L
Bond and by Mr M McLennan, a representative of the Melbourne Steamship Co.

The Melbourne Steamship Co also paid for Mr Sung’s funeral
expenses.

Since 1944 many people have claimed to see the spirit of the
Chinese Sailor Lee Pao Sung at Port Adelaide. Sometimes he is seen near the
Birkenhead Bridge, and other times walking along the pier near the lighthouse. Descriptions
of a Chinese man roaming the pier, sounding in pain have been numerous in
recent years.
Weirdly, the reported sightings do not have Mr Lee with a bag over his head,
rather they report a sailor style of clothing, and a neat appearance.

Have you experienced the ghost of Lee Pau Sung at Port Adelaide?
Let us know over on facebook at The Haunts of Adelaide

If you are interested in learning more about Hauntings in Port
Adelaide, and doing a free tour, please visit Ghosts of the Port – Self guided
walking tour – written by our own Allen Tiller for the Port Adelaide Enfield
Council – find it here: https://www.portenf.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?c=51325

All photos remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are displayed here for the purpose of education, research and review under the copyright act "fair usage" clause.

Some photo's used here on this site are sourced from The Sate Library of South Australia, and The National Library of Australia and http://www.gawler.nowandthen.net.au - all photos are out of copyright and have no usage restrictions implied.

All photos remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are displayed here for the purpose of education, research and review under the copyright act "fair usage" clause.

Some photo's used on this website are sourced from The Sate Library of South Australia, and The National Library of Australia and http://www.gawler.nowandthen.net.au - all photos are out of copyright and have no usage restrictions implied.

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PANDORA

On the 7-1-2013, The Haunts of Adelaide was added to The National Library of Australia's "Pandora" archive.http://pandora.nla.gov.au/